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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28214922">Bent But Not Broken</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JTR01/pseuds/JTR01'>JTR01</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Earth-3, Gen, One Shot, Origin Story</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:07:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,827</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28214922</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JTR01/pseuds/JTR01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There is an infinite amount of universes in the multiverse where every possible scenario is played out. On many Earths one man's sanity is broken by the suffering he had endured and he comes out as a villain called the Joker. But on Earth-3 that same man's sanity is bent but not broken, and he emerges a hero known as the Jokester.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Marian Drews &amp; Jokester (DCU)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Bent But Not Broken</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I don't own Batman.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Marian had been working for the Jokester for almost a year when she met the Quiz Family as they were called. Quizmaster and Three-Face had been captured and beaten by the Deadly Duo who then handed them over to Arkham Home for the Mentally Disturbed, where the rich and powerful like Thomas Wayne tortured the inmates presumably on the orders from Owlman. A known fact was that the only reason any heroes existed in Gotham was because Owlman liked to keep them around for entertainment and so he can have fun trying to break them. That's what happened with Marian's predecessor apparently and why she was now trying to kill everyone just to ruin everything for Owlman, though she had been to nervous to ask Jokester the specifics of what had happened.</p><p>Anyway the Quiz Family was a name used to refer to Gotham's masked heroes who fought against evil, given because of how Quizmaster was the leader even if Owlman hated Jokester more and since they acted like a family according to the papers. She had asked the Jokester about the name and he had said it was accurate, with him being the black sheep of the family nobody ever wanted to talk about. She had sensed there was some bitterness about that so she decided to not ask anymore questions, but with the looks she was now receiving she was starting to wish she had.</p><p>It hadn't been that difficult to free them, and they were also able to get Aloe Vera and Gator from Arkham. They had evaded the police by hiding in a warehouse and now she was simply sitting in a chair while the other heroes crowded together to speak. She narrowed her eyes when she saw the looks everyone was giving her, especially Three-Face who also gave Jokester similar looks. She couldn't hear anything but a few words as they whispered but she was set off when she heard one word uttered by Three-Face while she shot a glare in Marian's direct.</p><p>"Ok, what's your problem!?" she asked angrily as she got up to face Three-Face, who simply grinned and brushed past the surprised Jester of Justice. The women ignored the Jokester and Quizmaster who both tried to calm them down, begging desperately while Three-Face stopped to glare down at Marian who felt awkward when she realised she was much shorter than her.</p><p>"We think its pretty self explanatory. We're annoyed that the idiot has got another whore to follow him around." Three-Face told her which made Marian look at Quizmaster, Aloe Vera and Gator suspiciously. They hadn't acted like Three-Face when she was a helping them, they had been surprised and Gator had thought she was Harley for a moment but none of them had treated her the way Three-Face was.</p><p>"I don't know if this is Jeannie or Sophie, but will both of you listen to me? I don't want you to talk to Marian that way. I didn't...I told you not to speak that way to Harleen, and like Harleen Marian has done nothing to be treated this way. Look can I talk to Evelyn, she's much more reasonable." Jokester said to Three-Face while a flicker of sadness crossword his face when he brought up the previous Punchline. However the fact that Three-Face had different names reminded her that the costumed hero had three personalities and therefore was referring to herself and not the other heroes.</p><p>"Oh you would love that won't you!" Three-Face hissed as she span around to glare at Jokester. "You would love to have the chance to hurt her again wouldn't you, to break her and ruin her life."</p><p>Marian's eyes widened as she looked at the Jokester, again deeply regretting her decision to not learn more about the insanity she was entering and the people she was going to be working with. She observed the Jokester and while she didn't know what his history was with Three-Face, she could see the hurt and guilt in his eyes. That was something she couldn't stand as she recalled everything he has done to help her and make her a better person than she was a year ago, so she pushed her way in front of Jokester to glare at Three-Face.</p><p>"I don't know what your problem is with him, but I'll be careful if I was you. He's one of the good ones and I'm not going to let you talk to him like that." she said while trying to be as intimidating as she could, which wasn't by much considering the look she got from Three-Face.</p><p>"Here's some advice beautiful." Three-Face replied, the change surprising Marian while also noticing she spoke with a slightly different tone than she did a moment ago. "Don't go falling for the clown. It didn't work out for Eve and it didn't work out for Harley."</p><p>Marian did her best to not be rattled by what she had said, because the last thing she wanted to do was complicate her relationship with Jokester by bringing feelings into the equation. It was normal to have a crush on the man who saved and changed your life, but that was all it was. It was then however that she picked up on what Three-Face said and looked at Jokester in confusion.</p><p>"Did you and her use to date or something?"</p><p>"What, he never told you? That's just typical of him. He married Eve and knocked her up whore, which is what he will do to you if you're not careful. Eve's a great gal but she doesn't have good taste in men unlike us." Three-Face said as she reverted back to her more mean tone while wrapping an arm around her husband who simply looked around awkwardly.</p><p>"Wait, what!?" Marian yelled in surprise as she looked between Three-Face and Jokester. "You two are married?"</p><p>"No sweetie, he's married to Eve." Three-Face told her as her tone kept switching. "And unfortunately he's Duela's biological dad. Not that the fact means much to him."</p><p>"Hey! You know that's not fair, I didn't know she existed until she was nine!" Jokester said angrily and he looked like he was going to continue until he glanced at Marian, before sighing in defeat. "Look, we just came to break you guys out. Now that's done we've got our own stuff to deal with."</p><p>And with that Jokester walked away with the expectation that Marian would follow, which in any other situation would infuriate her. But what else was she going to do, stay with the people she's just met? So she followed Jokester out of the warehouse and into the back of their van, and with a nod from his boss their loyal driver Donnie started the car. They sat opposite to each other, both glancing at each other before looking away since nond of them knew what to say. So they just sat in silence until the van slowed to the stop and she followed the Jokester out, rendering their hideout while Jokester thanked Donnie and handed him some money. Not to stop him from talking but to thank him for taking such a risk in helping the two of them.</p><p>She went to the Marian and got to work on wiping off the makeup, before turning on the shower. She waited ten minutes for the water to warm up and once it was she quickly slipped her costume off, placing it into the basket near the door, before getting in since she knew how the water could change to cold very quickly without any warning. This place was a great hideout because it was close to falling apart and nobody would notice it, meaning it took a great deal of effort and patience to make it comfortable.</p><p>Once she was done she wrapped a towel around herself and with her costume in her hands, she walked to the bedroom while noticing that the Jokester was sitting at his chair staring out into nothing. When she got to her bedroom she began drying herself, pulling out her pyjamas from a drawer when she was done and putting them on. She also put on her socks and shoes in case they have to run, as you could never be too careful in this line of work.</p><p>She made her way to the main room where the Jokester was sitting and sat on the second chair next to him, watching him in silence for a moment while he didn't even glance at her. He had taken off his green jacket and hanged it up, and in his hands was a glass of milk which at the back of Marian's mind she knew was somewhat funny. A sad clown drinking away his sorrows with a glass of milk.</p><p>"Are we going to talk about what happened earlier?" she asked eventually, and he finally looked towards her. It hurt so much to see that the spark had gone out in his eyes, making him look as miserable and as hopeless as the people he was fighting to protect.</p><p>"There's nothing to talk about. Anyway I was thinking we could have another go at the Christmas idea this year. I'm sure we can talk Schott or Loomis into helping us with the reindeer, and if we make a deal with Alex he could fund it." he replied with a fake smile so convincing it would have fooled her if she hadn't seen the truth in his eyes.</p><p>"Don't do that, not now. Don't shut me out." she told him firmly and he hesitated, looking away for a brief moment.</p><p>"There's nothing to talk about Marian. I have a past like anyone else, and I doubt I'm the only person in the world who works with their ex. Nobody knows this but me and Alex even had a few moments of passion not long after we first met, and we've never let that interfere in working in the Justice Underground. It was a very amicable break up, with occasional nights when we get back together."</p><p>"First of all that's not a secret, that's as obvious as gravity. Everyone knows you and Luthor had some kind of relationship, I once had a friend who drew fan art of you two shirtless. A blind man could figure out your entire relationship from just hearing you two talk to each other."</p><p>"It's not that obvious." Jokester said defensively, clearly surprised by this. "I bet you would be surprised to hear that Sabrina joined in near the end. We were all pretty happy together at the time."</p><p>"Wait, really? But I thought she was interested in...hang on." Marian said with a frown of annoyance. "Don't try to distract me. I want to know the truth."</p><p>"Because I've been here for about a year and I know nothing about you!" Marian almost yelled, though her tone noticeably rises. "I know you have walls and I know you like your privacy,but we've been in life and death situations together. You saved my life and gave me a reason to live so I will always respect you. But I'm not just going to do whatever you want whenever you want, and if you respect me you will tell me the truth when I ask you."</p><p>In that moment as the clown looked down to his glass Marian worried she had pushed too far, that he would tell her to leave or would put up even more walls. That he will resent her for trying to force him to open up when he never asked why he found her cutting her wrists, instead just taking her to his home and tending to her wounds with a beautiful smile and some jokes to make her happy. She felt that she had to apologise because no matter how awkward she felt or how much she wants to know about the Jokester's past, she had no right to speak to him the way she had.</p><p>"Alright." the Jokester said before she could speak, drinking his milk quickly before looking at her. "It happened seventeen years ago, I was twenty-two and had just lost my job in GCPD. Me and Evelyn had been married a few months before we learned she was pregnant, and while it wasn't planned we were both excited. We were high school sweethearts you see, and we were completely in love. That meant I was looking for any job to make ends meet and that's how I found by calling in comedy."</p><p>***</p><p>"You're up kid."</p><p>The woman's voice, Bianca Steeplechase, was rough and uncaring, but Alan didn't care. He was too worried by his own fears and doubts, his terror about what would happen if everything went wrong. He could see himself entering his apartment, watching the hope disappear from Evelyn's eyes as he tells her how he's failed them again. He got himself kicked off the force when he stupidly tried to report that a detective was in Gordon's pocket, like some idiotic tourist who's never even heard of Gotham. It was a miracle he wasn't killed but soon nobody wanted to employ him which forced him to be here, in a club that smelled like urine where suicidal drunks searched desperately for a distraction from the reality they lived in whether through alcohol, jokes or the scantily clad women who serviced or performed between each act for them. And if the sounds he heard behind closed doors were anything to go bay, it was also another kind of club and Alan wasn't interested in learning if it was anything else. And the worst part of it all was that he wasn't even that funny, and he only took this job because he had no other option. But as he walked out towards the microphone he did his best to ignore the back flips his stomach was doing and the thumbing in his head, because this was it. Rent was due in three days, he had exhausted all his options and if he didn't get money soon he was gliding to die from starvation from how he kept giving Evelyn all his food. So if he had to tell jokes to do it that was what he was going to do.</p><p>"Hello everyone. I'm Alan Nicholson." he said nervously to the microphone, wincing slightly at how loud he was. The noise caused most of the patrons to go are at him in annoyance while a few were dragged out of their alcohol induced comas, blinking rapidly in confusion before their eyes settled on him. The waitresses, who's outfits made Alan blush and looks away, didn't pay attention as they looked too tired from life to care. However soon they all returned their focus to their drinks, deeming him not worth their time or effort. He hesitated, wondering if he should have gone with Evelyn's suggestion to wear that awful green outfit she had made him after all. He had told her that they people owning this club wouldn't have seriously hired him if he had worn it, but now he was starting to think that it would at least make people look at him.</p><p>He cleared his throat as he reached into his sprocket and pulled out some cards which he made he could remember his jokes, but in his haste the cards slipped from his fingers. They scattered across the ground and he desperately began to pick them up, while being able to feel Steeplechase glare at him from behind the curtain. He reminded himself about why he was doing this, why it was vital that he impressed Steeplechase, and looked at his cards nervously before standing up to address the crowd.</p><p>"So, let's be honest. We all know Gotham's terrible, especially the people. But not any of you!" Alan said quickly when he realised how that could be seen insulting, before remembering most comedians become successful through insulting people. Nobody was really looking at him or showing care either way, but he still mentally yelled at himself for not thinking or coming up with a plan. He had been so focussing the set up and punchlines of the jokes, he had forgotten to work on his his stage presence and how to tell the jokes. "Anyway most people are terrible, especially less savoury characters."</p><p>Alan struggled to breath when not one but ten heads looked up to glare at him as he remembered that he didn't know everything that happened in this club or who really owned it. His palms started to become even more sweaty and his legs began to wobble despite his attempts to keep both them and his voice steady. "For instance yesterday I bought some shoes from this one guy who did a bit of everything. Didn't know him personally, he was recommended by the old ball and chain who likes to get some happy pills for him when I annoyed her. Anyway I don't know if he laced them but I've been tripping ever since."</p><p>The silence was terrifying as he stood there, waiting for a reaction of some kind. Anything, even hatred and name calling would have been better than the silence. People would pay good money for someone they can throw abuse at after all. But nobody cared and Alan began to panicky when Steeplechase appeared beside him and began to speak into the microphone.</p><p>"So that's it for the comedian folks. Next up is the very sensual Veronica, ready to perform extra in private if you have the money." Steeplechase said to the crowd which made many men, and even a few of the waitresses, look up in excitement. While the crowd began to reach into their wallets Steeplechase turned to him while her annoyance replaced her face politeness she had she on previously. "Get out of here."</p><p>"No, please. I need this job." Alan began to beg, the images of returning to his wife a failure parading around in his head. "I have more jokes, better ones, if you just-"</p><p>"I don't care. Now get lost or I'll get security."</p><p>In the years to come Alan would never be able to answer what caused him to do what he did or where the words came from. He didn't know whether it was the desperation to not fail Evelyn again or his determination to prove himself or something else entirely, but instead of backing down like he usually does he found the stupid courage he had when he reported his boss to the police. Slipping past Steeplechase he grabbed the microphone and spoke into it while ignoring Steeplechase who tried to grab him.</p><p>"A man walks into a police station to complain about his neighbour. He says that his neighbour is into some kinky stuff, wearing a whole elaborate outfit that he uses when he hurts people since he gets off on it, and recently stole some stuff from the guy's house. The police officer shrugged and told the guy they would look into it. On her way home she finds a guy dressed in an elaborate outfit and gets off on hurting people, and so she arrests him. And that's how Owlman ended up spending the night in jail for robbing his neighbour."</p><p>It wasn't funny at all and his erratic and desperate voice didn't help make it funny. It wasn't even a proper joke and the punchline was perhaps the worst he's ever come up with. He looked down in despair while vaguely noticing that Steeplechase had let go of him, ashamed to look up and dreading the walk back home. Then he heard the chuckle at the back of the club and he looked up to see it was from one of the waitresses, who at the back of his mind he noticed looked too young to be working here or wearing anything like that. Her brief laughter soon proved to be infectious and it was only then that his terrible joke had made everyone look up at him surprise, and soon he could only stare in amazement as the entire crowd burst into laughter. He practically span around to face Steeplechase in search of an and were for what was happening but all the woman did was look back at him in shock, and for a moment all Alan did was listen to the laughter in the crowd before the idea hit him.</p><p>"Oh, you like that one do you? Well I have more where that come from." Alan lied as he grabbed the microphone while letting his cards drop to the ground, the words coming out from his mouth before he's even thought them through. "Have any of you noticed how bulky that suit is, especially near the nether regions? A good idea since we wouldn't be as terrified of him if he stood to fall salute out in public, but it has to make you wonder of he did that to hide that his friend isn't that impressive when standing straight?"</p><p>He had many more juvenile comments like that, jokes any fifteen year old would have found funny and would have repeated for years, but the crowd ate it up. They were all wide awake and all had their eyes on him, and Steeplechase had even left the stage. As he kept spitting out random jokes, none funny at all, he finally realised why they were paying attention. Because nobody made jokes about Owlman or Talon, nobody insulted the Deadly Duo like this and nobody would try to make money by doing that. It didn't matter if his jokes weren't funny what mattered was that he was making wildly inappropriate jokes about the biggest monster in Gotham, and he even through in a few about Thomas Wayne who was the second biggest which also made people happy. So naturally he got the job which is why a few hours later he was dancing up the stairs of his apartment, ignoring the surprised expression on Mr Berkis face when he came to scowl at him for being a terrible husband only to find him happy for the first time in months, and opening the door with a dash of flair.</p><p>"Honey, I'm home!" Alan sang happily while shutting the door behind him, surprising his beautiful wife who was four months pregnant.</p><p>"Alan, what's gotten into you?" Evelyn asked before her eyes widened with hope and excitement. "Oh did you get the-"</p><p>Alan cut her off my grabbing her and kissing her with passion he hasn't felt since he lost his job before simply hugging her tightly. They stood like that for a few minutes before Alan began speaking about the club and how he got the job, his excitement making her smile more as he she sat down on a chair. However her smile vanished when she learned the jokes he had been making and her face morphed to that of fear.</p><p>"What's wrong?"</p><p>"You can't go making jokes like that Alan! Do you have any idea what Owlman or Wayne could do to you?"</p><p>"Come on Evelyn, they're not going to care about me." Alan told her reassuringly. "I'm a comedian who works at a strip club no matter what the signs say, Owlman is too busy ruling over all the criminals while Wayne sits in his mansion profiting off the suffering of others. Why would they care about what I say?"</p><p>"I know you're right. But you know how cruel they can be, and you remember what happened to Mr Berkis' wife. All she did was bump into his car and Owlman had Talon kill her." Evelyn reminded him while clearly trying to resist the urge to cry, making Alan kneel down in front of her and take her hands into his.</p><p>"Listen to me Evelyn. I promise I will be fine and that nothing bad will happen." Alan told her firmly and once Evelyn nodded he hugged her gently.</p><p>In the months that followed Alan perfected his craft as a comedian, becoming more and more confident as he did. He started to wear the outfit to make himself look even more ridiculous, added a few props and even asked the waitresses to volunteer. His jokes didn't change, they were always about Owlman or some socialite, but that didn't matter to Alan or anyone else because nobody else was doing what he was doing. Nobody else was turning the most feared man in Gotham into a joke, into a punchline to laugh at and that meant more and more people were coming to the club to see his act. He was quickly becoming the everyone's favourite act and he was happy that didn't annoy anyone else working here as they also liked his act. He had completely forgotten about his talk with Evelyn when he had a cruel reality check about how life worked in Gotham.</p><p>He had been walking up the stairs to his apartment thinking about how great his day had been, feeling like his life was getting better and better with each day. He had made some great jokes that were genuinely funny, got how own room at the club and a pay raise, and he was even recognized at a store and given a free coffee. He can't remember getting anything for free in his life and he had been speechless when it happened. So when he opened the door to his apartment, he had the biggest smile on his face. The smile of a man who had forgotten life was cruel and needed to be reminded.</p><p>He instantly realised something was wrong when he saw that the kitchen table had been overturned while plates and cups had been smashed. His horror and fear steadily rising he ran inside looking around desperately for Evelyn, too frightened to shout for his wife, before dashing by their bedroom when the terrifying thought accrued to him that he might find her there. He was both relieved and panicked when he opened the door to find that she wasn't there, but he froze in terror when the door to his apartment was slammed shut.</p><p>"Hello Mr Nicholson. It's good to finally make your acquaintance." a cold and mocking voice said from behind him.</p><p>Alan turned around to see Owlman standing at the door while the teenaged Talon stood next to him, the former's mouth a thin and uncaring line while the latter's was a grin of cruel madness. Alan found it difficult to breath as he stared at the criminals while his brain tried to tell his body to go for the gun at his drawer near his bed, but fear made him stand there like an idiot. It was a mistake he paid for quickly when Owlman made a brief movement and Alan collapsed to the ground in pain while a owl shaped weapon was now sticking out of his shoulder.</p><p>"Don't worry, we're not here to kill you. We're actually going to be gentle with you since people like you give others hope." Owlman explained calmly while approaching slowly approaching him, which Alan knew was only to drag this out. " If I'm too harsh people will stop causing laughter and hope will die, and if that happens suicides would triple. You can't rule a kingdom if there aren't any peasants to tend the fields and grow the food after all. So we're just going to make an example of you by teaching you an important lesson. And who knows, this might be good for your career. You could be a scary clown instead of a funny one."</p><p>Alan honestly couldn't remember everything Owlman and Talon did to him, and the stuff he did remember was too painful to recall. But when he finally forced his way out of the hospital despite the doctors telling him not to, he emerged with a constant reminder of what happened to him which was visible for all to see. Scars which have him a perpetual grin, that terrified all who saw him and made children cry. He felt like a monster from a tragedy, feared and hated by people for something beyond his control.</p><p>He returned to his apartment and ignored everyone who came to see him, trying to wake himself from the nightmare he was in. He ignored Steeplechase who came with some of the girls, he ignored Berkis who now pitied him instead of hating him, and he tried to ignore his pain with help from a good friend named Jack Daniels. He gave up hope of ever seeing Evelyn again after a month and he gave up on finding her body after three, and by that point it was rare for him to not be so drunk he forgot everything. It was during one of those nights that he was approached by two men whom Alan would later learn were named Vinnie and Joe, two men who for better or for worse helped him towards his destiny.</p><p>"You're Nicholson right? The comedian?" Joe asked Alan while he and Vinnie looked down at the broken man, who was sitting at a table drinking.</p><p>"Go away." Alan muttered as he took a quick swig of his drink.</p><p>"I think you would like to hear our offer first Alan. Can I call you Alan?" Vinnie asked with a smile. "Trust me if you plan to only listen to two more people before you drown yourself in this bar, then me and Joe are those two."</p><p>"I said, leave me alone." Alan practically hissed while getting ready to throw his empty glass at them.</p><p>"How would you like the chance to kill Owlman?" Joe asked him quietly and Alan looked up at the two in surprise.</p><p>"If you want a chance, call us on this number." said Vinnie who dropped a business card on the table before the two men walked away.</p><p>Alan ended up calling them a few hours later where they arranged a meeting and explained their offer in more detail. It turned out that the Scarlet Mask vigilante known for blowing himself up in attempts to kill Owlman only to reappear a few weeks later alive and well was actually different people that Joe and Vinnie had recruited. People with nothing to live for, people getting closer to the day they will kill themselves, people who's suffering is caused by Owlman and are prepared to do anything to get some kind of revenge. Joe and Vinnie would give them a target they suspected Owlman was connected to and get them to attract his attention while they hit another target. They kept half of what they stole and then gave the other half to the people, and Alan had heard stories of masked strangers handing out money to the poor.</p><p>It took him half a second to say yes and he soon found himself dressed in a tuxedo and a red glass helmet with special mirrors while a bomb was strapped to his chest, the trigger in his hand and a gun in the other. Strangely he wasn't scared of this and instead felt a hint of excitement growing inside him. Excitement at the idea that even if he doesn't kill Owlman he could still hurt him in some small way. He knew the chances of him actually killing the monster were not in his favour, but the idea that he might was intoxicating in a way he couldn't truly explain.</p><p>He should have known it would go wrong but as he was firing at the guards at Ace Chemicals, who were too heavily armed to not be working for someone corrupt, he felt too powerful to be stopped. Just like when he had been making those stupid jokes about Owlman and just like them the Silver King showed up to give him a reality check.</p><p>"Your friends were good. But it wants hard to figure out their plan especially since they me he changed it. Talons has already dealt with them." Owlman said as he suddenly appeared behind Alan, making the man take a few steps back towards the ledge. Behind him was a vat of thick purple chemicals that unnerved him only a little less than how Owlman infuriated him, which was why he moved his thumb to push the button of the trigger. However when it didn't work he tried again and it was only after the fourth push that he saw the wire connecting it to the bombs had been cut, and looking towards Owlman he saw that the criminal was in a pose suggesting he had thrown something. He only realised that he had thrown one of his throwing weapons when Owlman leaped upon him, becoming a blur of hits that made Alan scream in agony.</p><p>Somehow during the struggle the bombs were removed and thrown away to the ground, but while Alan wasted previous seconds realising this he eventually looked up to see Owlman holding one of his sharp weapons above him before swinging down. The bladed weapon broke through the helmet, cutting into his cheek along with several shards of the mask. Owlman removed the weapon and pushed him towards the barrier which was the only thing stopping him from falling into the vat, with Alan being unable to find the strength to fight back.</p><p>"I don't know who you are or why you chose to do something so stupid. But since the masterminds behind this little idea are dead I'm going to be kind tonight." Owlman said with a tone that suggested he was bored with the situation. "The pipes in those vats lead out into the Gotham harbour, so if you hold your breath and swim fast you might survive. I recommend that you retire from a life of crime fighting."</p><p>Alan was only paying attention to what Owlman was saying, so when he felt himself falling he was confused. When he hit the chemicals and found himself being submerged he woke up and held his breath, as the human desire to survive stopped him from surrendering to death. He felt his skin begins to itch as he shut his eyes tightly, and he felt around the walls of the vat blindly. He felt a current leading him in a certain direction and he followed it, feeling the walls around him shrink and get tighter. He didn't know how long he swam through the pipe while the fear that he would get stuck and eventually drown grew inside him, until he eventually found himself falling again and hitting a new liquid. He quickly realised this was water and swam about, trying to ignore how his chest burned and how his skin still hurt, until he felt a hint of air on his skin.</p><p>He breathed in heavily as he opened his eyes, the water and chemicals aiding the night in making it difficult for him him to see. Eventually he spotted a small amount of solid ground near the pipe he emerged from and he swam towards it, and when he arrived he pulls Dodd th helmet. The shards and sharp edges that had been pushed inwards by Owlman scraped against his skin but he didn't care when he saw his reflection in a puddle.</p><p>It took him a moment to realise that it was his face. That the chalk white skin was his skin, the purple hair was his hair and those scars were his scars. That the monster clown from some poorly made film with no budget was him and no matter how much he rubbed at his skin it didn't look like his appearance was changing.</p><p>Slowly and uncontrollably, the weight of everything that had happened to him crashing down onto him, laughter began to slip from his lips. Laughter that grew louder and harder, laughter born from the despair of a man who has lost everything.</p><p>***</p><p>Marian was speechless while the Jokester sat there, unsure about what she should say in response to what he just told her. What could she say when everything she could think of felt insufficient. Thankfully the Jokester gave her more time to prepare when he bang talking again.</p><p>"I almost broke that night. I was bent to why breaking point and I almost gave into the despair. I won't lie and say I found some sort of inner strength that kept, that I found some sense of purpose after everything I had gone through. I wanted to give in to all of it and lose myself to madness. But for some reason I didn't. My sanity was bent, but not broken."</p><p>"I'm sorry." Marian eventually said before feeling terrible. "I'm sorry, I mean, I know that's not good enough I just panicked."</p><p>"It's fine. What else could you say after hearing that?"</p><p>"What happened to Evelyn? How did she become the way she was?" she asked, not sure I'd it would be a good idea to call he Three-Face right now.</p><p>"Owlman left her at Arkham for a few years until Nashton found her. Saved her and Duela, but she wasn't able to cope with what happened. How could she? She was tortured every day and if she didn't do what they wanted they would have hurt Duela." Jokester explained sadly. "I didn't really bother with the other heroes and was good at avoiding Arkham, so I didn't realise Evelyn was Three-Face until we ended up in cells opposite to each other. By then she had married Nashton and he had raised Duela as his own."</p><p>"But why didn't the two of you get back together?"</p><p>"Well ignoring the fact that Jeannie and Sophie hated me, Evelyn had thought I died. She had tried to come to terms with my death in her own way the same way I had tried to do. We still feel something I guess, but there's so much pain that we can't go back to how we were. And I don't hate Nashton or anything, I'm actually grateful that he was the one who found her. He took care of her and Duela when nobody else did, stopped Evelyn from ending up much worse than she could have and that's not something I will ever forget."</p><p>"And that's another thing. You have a kid? How have you kept that a secret? You rarely go anywhere and when you do its to plan for something." she questioned while hoping she didn't end up making him mad.</p><p>"That's a whole other story, but we had to make her leave Gotham a few years ago. For her own protection." Jokester explained and the two lapsed into a silence for a moment before he spoke again. "So, how do you feel about all this? Do you want to leave?"</p><p>"What! No I would never want that. Do you want me to leave?" Marian asked him in a panic.</p><p>"No I would never want that." he assured her while forcing a brief smile onto his face. "It's just that you know what sort of person I am. I'm a failure. I failed in the GCPD, in protecting Evelyn and Duela, in keeping Harleen safe. After seventeen years I've only freed a few streets from Owlman's rule. If I were you I would run before your life is ruined because of me. And I'd you stay you'll have to put up with people judging us for what happened with Harleen and thinking our friendship is something else despite our pretty big age gap, especially from Jeannie and Sophie."</p><p>"Listen to me." she said as she leaned over and wrapped her hand around his. "First of all I won't ever leave you. You found me trying to kill myself and gave me a reason to live, to keep fighting and be a better person. Secondly I don't care what people think of me, if I did I wouldn't be working with you. And lastly, you've only freed a few streets but the people in this streets now live in hope of a better tomorrow. With the rest of the heroes in Gotham doing that part, practically half is safe from Owlman."</p><p>"But you saw what happened to Evelyn and you know what Harleen has become." Jokester protested but she shook her head.</p><p>"None of that was your fault. You did the best you could and trying your best has helped so many people. What you went through was horrible but you shouldn't take responsibility for every bad thing that's happened." Marian told him firmly.</p><p>"I know what you mean, but it's not that easy."</p><p>"I know its not. But I'm here if you ever want to talk." Marian said while squeezing his hand gently and reassuringly, and she was relived when the Jokester smiled gratefully.</p><p>"Thanks. For not leaving." he told her awkwardly.</p><p>"Thanks for telling me all of this." Marian responded with a smile as their hands held each other tightly.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Tell me what you think and if there are any spelling mistakes or sentences that don't make sense. I've always wanted to do an Earth-3 story and this developed from a much smaller idea so please give me your opinion and if the present day scenes were necessary. And if you were wondering yes since the name Jack Napier came from Alan Napier and Jack Nicholson, I simply changed the name to Alan Nicholson for the Jokester. The idea of him being a former police officer is to reflect the origins where the Joker was already a criminal before his transformation. Similarly the idea that Harley Quinn used to be the Jokester's heroic partner until Owlman drove her insane reflects how Harley Quinn is now more of an antihero instead of a villain like she was originally portrayed. If it wasn't clear Sabrina/Panther, Gator and Aloe Vera are meant to be the Earth-3 version of Sebastian Ballesteros/Cheetah IV, Killer Croc and Poison Ivy respectively.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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